it has been a while since i have taken the time to pause and update this page. much has been going on in my life which has caused me to spend the bulk of my time producing rather than doing the more administrative ends of things. this week, however, i shall rectify that.

the crossing the rubicon exhibit at gallery 1313 in toronto came and went. many new friends were made, old friends reconnected with and new pieces were shown. most importantly, the rest of toronto is now open for conquest.

some visuals:

as some of you who follow my other online presences have seen, i have completed my most recent piece. this is the second in the seneschal series, entitled of ye lucidity most sombre. i was pleased to feature this during the crossing the rubicon exhibit. as it happens, immediately after the exhibit, it found its way into the people’s gallery in waterloo, ontario and shall be returning to atelier proprætoria this week.

currently i am hacking away at another stand-alone piece, after which i will be finally revisiting edictvm I. i am also currently revisiting my sculpting and casting projects, including a new one which i am not going to reveal too widely just yet. let’s just say it will be interesting, nostalgic and perhaps a little meditative.

perhaps the most important news is my return to the world of vending. on december 15, i will be at the bazaar of the bizarre’s “frost bite” winter show in toronto.

this time around, i will only be selling art prints. next time, there will be more artifacts in hand for patrons. feel free to come by and check things out.

apart from all of that, i am also finally renewing my activity on the various blogs i’ve been writing for over the years.

more news as things develop. MMXIV will be another year of conquest, be assured!

it is with no small amount of pride that i make a much-delayed announcement concerning the new solo exhibition of my work.

this exhibit, entitled crossing the rubicon, will take place in toronto at gallery 1313 in their “process” gallery. proprætorian works, new and old, will be on display from october 16 through october 27.

i have decided to call this show crossing the rubicon not as a proclamation of civil war, as the historical act signified, but as a proclamation – a throwing down of a gauntlet that proclaims this war i wage is an “all or nothing” situation. and in the words of GAIVS IVLIVS CÆSAR, who was the original crosser of the rubicon “alea iacta est.” [latin: the die is cast]

the gallery is located at 1313 queen street west, in toronto. an opening reception for the entire gallery will be from 8-10pm on october 17 and is by invitation only, so if you wish to attend, let me know.

as some of my friends are aware, the return to the war after the most recent assault has been a little slower than normal. between familial emergencies, being swamped at the day-job and making a few lifestyle changes (not the least of which is beginning a gradual transition to a vegan lifestyle), my time has been somewhat limited. add to that, the lingering stresses of certain corners of my personal life, some of which have endured for years, have caused a certain amount of melancholy that has been a little difficult to get out of. sometimes stress can inspire. sometimes it just saps one of their will. the only thing one can do sometimes is hold up the shield and wait for the arrow storm to pass.

that said, a new piece has been started. this one, while untitled so far, will be the second in the seneschal series and, as such, will be similar in mood and style. without revealing too much about it, the image was inspired, in a roundabout way, by some recent research i had done into the mayan underworld mythology, specifically the concept and notion of xibalba (the place of fear). while not an explicit depiction of xibalba, there is still a certain element of pilgrimage to it. that’s all i will say on the subject for now.

i also have a couple of tattoo designs in the works, an ever-evolving idea relating to the gorgon, some sculptural ideas and a much-needed redux of edictvm I. one thing at a time for now, however.

in other news, my hopes of attending and vending at this year’s necronomi-con in providence, rhode island came to an unfortunate end owing to timing and budgetary concerns. one more week would have made all the difference, alas. further, my other american exhibition prospect for this year seems to have fallen by the wayside as well, this time owing more to distance than anything else. nevertheless, i remain undaunted and am still working to put the rest of the year in order. i will post here as soon as i have more details.

in the meantime, i wish the greatest of life, health and strength and a reminder that might, of mind and of spirit, is the greatest right. how you choose to interpret that is up to you, though how you manifest it determines your humanity. woe to the man who makes himself vile. shame upon the house of he who masks his vulgarity in the skin of humanity. those who know their wretchedness, acknowledge it and yet strive to rise above may one day earn their place amongst heroes.

as some may have noted, my piece edictum I – duro in umbræ sancto has been taken down from the page. this has not been done as a result of legal pressure (i document all of my works sufficiently to ensure there is no legal doubt as to my ownership of my art). this was done as a result of dissatisfaction with the piece.

edictum I was completed in a mad rush to meet a framing deadline for my first entrenchment show last august. i had a large, grand design for it and while it carries a certain amount of the sublime to it, i was never completely satisfied with it. the figure was nowhere near as expressive, when inked, as his pencil lines made him. the shadows were nowhere near as deep on him and the demonic figures in the background were not quite as subtly-defined as i had intended. in short, i compromised for the sake of time, and compromise is something i promised myself i would never, neverdo.

for my punishment for this, as i am my own taskmaster and general in this war i wage, i will re-do the piece, making it more elaborate and hopefully more intense. if i am unsatisfied with it still, i will redo it again. if it takes years, edictum I will not be unleashed until i am completely satisfied with how it looks.

i will commence the redraw as soon as my current work in progress, the auguries of grief. in the meantime, stay tuned for more info concerning upcoming shows. it’s going to be an exciting year.

after several months of neglect following several hours of love-labour, i have finally completed one of my unfinished absinthe paintings, namely the cellars of mr. ferguson suffer the scrutiny of the late lady torsen.

having recently completed (or nearly completed) a small commission for a friend, I now have a few new projects in the go.

first off, a stand-alone ink piece which i have already entitled the auguries of grief. not quite as esoteric as the bulk of my work, it still fits in with my greater scheme.

also, i am going to be pushing work forward (finally) on some of my sculpture projects, including the long, LONG overdue casting of my cthulhu sculpture.

i have also set in motion the mechanism for doing a series of illustrations for the inferno of dante aligheri. these will be further speed-painting experiments and i will make them available along with the text of a public-use translation by longfellow.

finally, i have decided to bend to popular demand and am going to produce a tarot deck. like the dante illustrations, this will be a series of 76 speed paintings. more on this as it comes.

in the meantime, here is hoping that you all survive the holiday horror sufficiently.